2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

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VideoGameCritic
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2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby VideoGameCritic » September 17th, 2017, 4:28 pm

Here's a very interesting review of the latest Final Fantasy game.
Although it's under the Xbox One section, the review also applies to the PS4 version.

BanjoPickles
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby BanjoPickles » September 17th, 2017, 9:20 pm

I have long given up on this series, mainly because SE seems content sacrificing quality gameplay for the sake of creating something unique. I watched videos on the game, and it left me completely unimpressed.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out what happened to this company! They've reached this point where they have far more misses than hits, and they completely milk the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises.

I think that it's time for this series to return to its roots. Bring back the, you know, FANTASY element!

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » September 17th, 2017, 10:23 pm

Is it really fair to rate a sandbox world by the narrative standards of a linear plot? The theme here is road trip, so the episodic, too many ideas and not enough clear resolution feel of it all, really feels right to me.

And the high risk magic system feels like calling in an air strike.

As for the graphics, man, if this is what passes for bad graphics now, what did that make Final Fantasy IV on SNES? It was clearly an NES engine with extra sprite colors, a few effects, and better sound.

DaHeckIzDat
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby DaHeckIzDat » September 18th, 2017, 1:21 am

Here are my thoughts. I haven't beaten the game yet, but I think the combat works fine. I was hoping for a direct port of Kingdom Hearts' combat into a Final Fantasy game, but what they give us is all right.

I agree that Noctis is bland, but I disagree about the other characters being undeveloped. Some of the most fun in the game is just listening to Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto banter back and forth. They feel like real people in a way that very few video games have ever managed. This is something only a story-nut like me would appreciate of course. Someone who judges games solely by gameplay probably won't see it the same way.

I agree that making magic attacks deal friendly fire is bogus, but I'm getting by just fine with melee weapons and healing potions. Also not sure where these low detail textures are, as this is, no exaggeration, one of the most amazing looking games I've ever played.

To each their own, but I would personally score it between a B and a B-.

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Retro STrife
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby Retro STrife » September 18th, 2017, 9:13 am

Final Fantasy was my favorite franchise growing up, but I gave up on it after being letdown by the very mediocre FF 12, and then seeing the middling reviews for the FF games since then. Ptdebate, and anyone else, which do you prefer -- FF 13 or 15? Do either of them do enough to bring back gamers who were disappointed by FF 12? At this point, I think I'm just going to hold out for the FF 7 remake.

eneuman96
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby eneuman96 » September 18th, 2017, 12:15 pm

ThePixelatedGenocide wrote:As for the graphics, man, if this is what passes for bad graphics now, what did that make Final Fantasy IV on SNES? It was clearly an NES engine with extra sprite colors, a few effects, and better sound.


On a related note, I always find it hilarious to read a review of a fifth or sixth generation game back when it came out that praises its now-outdated graphics considering nowadays reviewers tend to criticize game graphics when they aren't perfectly photorealistic.

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ptdebate
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby ptdebate » September 19th, 2017, 4:00 pm

Retro STrife wrote:Final Fantasy was my favorite franchise growing up, but I gave up on it after being letdown by the very mediocre FF 12, and then seeing the middling reviews for the FF games since then. Ptdebate, and anyone else, which do you prefer -- FF 13 or 15? Do either of them do enough to bring back gamers who were disappointed by FF 12? At this point, I think I'm just going to hold out for the FF 7 remake.


Between 13 and 15, 13 is just a much more polished, well-thought-out experience. It checks all of the boxes of a great JRPG, even if it fails to bring anything truly special to the table. It won't outshine those glorious memories of the SNES and PS1 Final Fantasy games, but I would argue that it is more than worthy of the name in its own right. I think it's really important to play and evaluate that game on its own merits, not what other reviewers have said. The same can be said of 15, which received much undeserved praise.

If you have a PS4, I would strongly urge you to give FF12 another chance. I'm reviewing the remastered version right now and it's easily the best Final Fantasy outing on current consoles, and likely ranks highly in the series overall as far as I am concerned.

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Retro STrife
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby Retro STrife » September 19th, 2017, 6:31 pm

ptdebate wrote:Between 13 and 15, 13 is just a much more polished, well-thought-out experience. It checks all of the boxes of a great JRPG, even if it fails to bring anything truly special to the table. It won't outshine those glorious memories of the SNES and PS1 Final Fantasy games, but I would argue that it is more than worthy of the name in its own right. I think it's really important to play and evaluate that game on its own merits, not what other reviewers have said. The same can be said of 15, which received much undeserved praise.

If you have a PS4, I would strongly urge you to give FF12 another chance. I'm reviewing the remastered version right now and it's easily the best Final Fantasy outing on current consoles, and likely ranks highly in the series overall as far as I am concerned.


Thanks for the reply. I have a stack of RPGs ahead of it but I do own FF 13, so I'll hopefully get to it someday. Sounds like it's worth keeping in the stack of "to play someday" games.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for FF12. I played it to completion on the PS2 and with so many RPGs to catch up on (most of which I know I'll never actually get to) I just can't justify going back to it. Maybe it's a good game and I was just burnt out on Final Fantasy games at that point, or just disappointed that it couldn't match FF10, but I trudged through that thing and couldn't wait for it to be over. Plus, I thought FF9 was overrated too, and each FF game took me over 100 hours and like a year to beat, so FF 12 may have just been the final straw for me. I was burnt out on the series, and hoping the FF7 Remake can bring me back. Meanwhile, I'm still working on Xenogears as my current RPG, which I started well over a year ago and barely touch at the moment....

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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby Alucard1191 » September 19th, 2017, 7:29 pm

Honestly, I lost interest in this franchise with X and X-2. Many of my friends loved them, but I was honestly having trouble with the franchise even with FF8 and 9. I beat FF8, and found the combat system to be too much. Button mashing during GFs that took forever really drained on me. I had similar issues with FF7 with things like knights of the round and bahamut zero summons, but there was also enough diversity that I didn't have to rely on those. (4x cut materia FTW) Anyway, more rambling incoming, FF9 I felt was sort of too much of a mix of old and new, and I never got into it.

Then with the constant warping all over, female meg ryan weird minigames and overly done crazily complicated storyline in X, with the gratuitous money grubbing (Place the 3 females in any sexy outfit you want! Even as a late teen that screamed sexist and gimmicky) sequel X-2. I mean... finally a sequel to a Final Fantasy... and you choose that one. I lost a lot of respect for a company I grew up loving, loved for the most part during the PS-1 era, then felt completely jumped the shark.

Apparently having a few shots and ranting about how Squaresoft (and Enix) have let me down is how I'm spending this hour.

GameOfThrones
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Re: 2017/9/17: Xbox One: Final Fantasy XV

Postby GameOfThrones » September 20th, 2017, 11:25 am

Surely it has to be better than final fantasy 13 1 and 2. One was atrocious. A linear bore. I played a bit of two but the magic was not there. I will reserve judgement on it until I buy it but it is not high on my list of games to get so it might never get purchased.
The fire has really gone out of the Japanese games market. They used to be market leaders in the SNES to Megadrive eras until maybe when they released the ps2. Now they are also rans. Piping out the same out same old. Every game has to have a boss monster in it every couple of levels. You would think that they could get away from the arcade past but no they are routed in there firmly.

Oh well Star wars battle fronts beckons, i got it digitally for 87 percent off and it is actually very good. the graphics are jaw dropping.


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